Automatic folding umbrella.



B. J. MCGABB.

AUTOMATIC FOLDING UMBRELLA.

APPLICATION FILED DEO. 18, 1911. 1,063,989, Patented June 10, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

.WW Y w# commun PLANOQRAPH co.. WASHINGTON. n. c.

B. J. MGGABE.

AUTOMATIC FOLDING UMBRELLA.

APPLIOATION FILED 13110.18, 1911.

Patented June 10, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Gthwnu).

B. J. MoGABE.

AUTOMATIC FOLDING UMBRBLLA.

APPLICATION FILED DBO.18, 1911. 1,063,989, Patented June 10,1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

CDLUNBM PLANDOIAPM C0.. WASHINGTON. D. C.

BERNARD J. TJICCABE, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

AUTOMATIC FOLDING UMBRELLA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 18, 1911.

VPatented June it), 19,13.

serial Np. 666,405.

lie it knoen that I` Balmain) J. Trillium, citizen ol the Vl[lnited States, residingl :it lletroll. in the countyY olE Vayne and t'ltate oli Michigan, have invented certain new and useft'iil liiiprorenients in Automatic Foldingl Umbrellas, olf Vwhich the 'Following is a specification.

rThis invention comprehends cerlaiii new and nse'lul improvements in 'folding or collapsilllc unilirellas of the telescopiiig stick type, and the invention has t'or one oli its main chjects a simple and ellicient construction of device oili this character which will he automatic in the operation o'lE hoth openingand closing` the iiiiilirella rihs.

lllie invention also hasl lor itsl oliject an uinhrella oit this character. the pails ol" which are so constructed and arranged relalirelir to each other that the uinhrella in closed position may occupy a minimum amount o't space so that it mayY he convenicntlyv carried in a hand han' or lhe like, and easily7 extended to operative condition when desired l'or use.

The invention also has lor its oliject a vfolding' or collapsible uinlirella which will lie strong` and durahle and \\'ell alile to withstand hard usage, and particularly the wind stresses to which unillrellas are so lirefluently subjected, the parts heine` so arranc'ed that the umhrella may turn inside out and suhseilnenllyv resume ilsI normal shape without undue straining` ol or injury to the i'ihs. sti'elclieis or spreaders and their (,foncomitant parts.

l'urthei' ohlect ol the invention is to provide an unihrella ot' this type with a sheath or casing so connected thereto that when the telesco-lriinpr sections o't the rod or stick are extended, the said casini; will he automatically drawn iip into the handle section so that it ma),7 always he at hand when required. the casing' heiner automatically exposed alien the rod or Stick is in collapsed condition so that the sheath may he slipped over the closed and collapsed umbrella, to protect the cov-er and other parts. And the invention also aims to generally improve this class ot devices and to render them more iiset'nl and coinniercially7 desirable.

lV ith these and other objects in View, as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain constructions, arrangements and comliinations ol the parts lliat l shall hereinafter l'ulliy describe and claim.

For a lull understainling ot the invention, re'lerence is to he had to the following;I de scriplion and accoinpanyingl drawing, in which:

Figures jl, 2. El and 1: are longitudinal sectional views ol my' improved umbrella; Figs. 5, l and T are views ol. the rih structure, as are Figs. 8. l) and lll; Fin. Al1 is a longitir dinal .sectional View ot' the intia'mediate portion oli' the stick; VFig'. 'l2 is a sectional side elevation olI another portion olf the slick colilinued up 'troni Fie'. ll; Fie'. lil is a tragmentari sectional View ol the plunger tip section ol the stick; Fig. 'lklis a sectional side elevation ol a portion ot the stick; Fig. 15 is a transverse sectional View on the line l5-l5 of Fig. ll; and llie. ll is a sectional View showing the parts viewed at right angles to the showingin Ilia'.

(lorrespondinel and like parts are relerred to in the lollowiirgr i'lescriplion and indicated in all the Views olE the drawing` by the saine ic'l'ei'ence characters.

The slick or rod ol my iniproved n1ii lnella` inelin'lcs in the present eiiihodiiiient ol the invention, lip sections AlA and 2, the tip section l possessing the 'function ol. a plim- `rer as will he liercinaliler more specifically descrihed. and lelescopingg' within lhc tipseclion 2. rlhe rod also includes a ruimer seclion l lelcscopino on the lip section 2, an intermediate section `-lwhich telescol'ies over the enlarged lower end 2 olj the tip section and a handle section 5 which telescopes over the intermediate section -l. All of these .sections are tulgular, as cleai'l)r illustrated in the drawings. and pre l'erahliy the handle section 5 is incased in veneer, as indicated at (i. said veneer heine; oi'naincnled in an)r desired \va \r and possessingrany desired conlie'uration, as taste or jiidggnient may dictate.

llie tip section l is provided at its outer end with a plug" or :Ferrule 7 and is formed interniialiate oli its ends with diainetrically opposed longitudinal slots S accominodating the ends ol" a transverseljr extending' pin 9 which is secured to the tip section 2 intern'icdiate of the ends oli' the latter. A closing;r spring' l() is housed within the section l and is secured at its upper end to the pin t), the lower ond ol said spring being scoured to a correspending` pin 11 which is fastened in the lower end of the runner 3. rlhe transversely extending` pin 11 is accommodated not only by the slots 8 of the tip section 1, but by the corresponding and registering slots 12 that are formed in the tip section 2.

13.., designates the opening spring of the device. This spring is mounted within the tip section 1 and is secured at its upper end to the pin 11, the lower end of said spring being secured to a transverse pin 14 fastened in the lower end of said tip section 1. Each of the springs 10 and 13 is contractile, and their correlated actions or operations will be hereinafter specii'ically described, it being borne in mind, however, that the opening spring 13, when under tension, is relatively and preferably stronger than the closing spring 10 in order that itmay perform the double function of opening the umbrella and setting the umbrella closing mechanism.

rlhe notched crown, 15, is secured in any desired way to the upper end of the tip section 2, as by the registering beads 1G formed while attaching the crown number to the tubular tip section. rlhe ribs that are pivotally connected at their inner ends to the crown 15 are designated B as a whole, each of said ribs embodying an upper section 17 0f channel metal, as shown, and a lower section 18 which is preferably formed of round wire of suitable strength and size. The runner is provided with a flexing stretcher or spreader 19 which is pivotally connected at one end to the end of the runner 3 and which is also formed of channel metal adapted to nest wit-hin the section 17 of the rib, the other end of the stretcher being welded or otherwise iixedly connected to the outer end of the upper section 1'1" within a sleeve 20. The lower section 18 of each rib passes through the sleeve 2O for a sliding' movement within the nested stretcher and' upper section of the rib, the inner end of the section 18 being flattened and returned upon itself around the outer side of the sleeve 2O to ferm a spring` latch 21 designed to engage the said sleeve to hold the outer section in extended relation to the inner section. Each latch 21 is preferably pro vided with a curved releasing finger 22 at its free end, designed for engagement by a releasing cup 23 formed on the upper end of the handle sect-ion 5, it being at this point understood that when the ribs are folded upon the rod or stick A and the handle section 5 is pushed over the adjoining sections of the rod, the cup will wedge around the circle of releasing fingers 22 and release the latches 21 from the sleeves 20, a continued movement of said section 5 serving` to force the sections 18 upwardly into the nested stretchers 19 and correspondrib sections 17, so as to collapse the ribs.

rlflie cover of the umbrella it not shown,

the same being preferably omitted for the sake of clear-ness; but it is to be understood that the cover is stitched to the eyes 24 formed in the ribs near the tip ends of the latter and also stitched by sewing to notches that are formed in the latches 21 contiguous to thimbles 26 that are carried by the sections 18 at the inner or upper ends of the latter, and that have an easy sliding fit over the outside of the upper rib sections 17.

The casing or sheathing 27 of my improved umbrella may be of any desired construction or design, and is preferably provided at one end with a hook 28 by which it is swung from and permanent-ly connected to a transversely*extending `pin 29 secured in the lower end of the intermediate section 4, whereby when the parts are collapsed, as illustrated in Fig. 1, the casing will be exposed and may be easilyv slipped over the folded umbrella. When the parts of the stock or rod are extended, it is evident that the casing 27 will be drawn upwardly within the handle section 5 where it will be out of the way but always at hand and not liable to be lost, so that it may be used whenever desired or necessary.

From as much of the description as has preceded in connection with the correlated views of the accompanying drawing, the operation of collapsing the umbrella after it has been closed will be apparent, the tubes sliding one upon the other in an evident manner, and the rib unlocking and the collapsing cup 23 carried by the handle section 5 unlocking the latches 21 and moving the sections 18 into the nested spreaders 1S) and corresponding rib sections 17. rl`he closed position of the parts is illustrated in Fig.

l. The parts are held in this collapsed con.

dition with the opening spring 13 extended and held under tension by the engagement of the catch se-35 with the catch 36MB?. To extend the rod or stick ifi, it is only necessary to pull the various sections outwardly relatively to each other, with the exception of the top section 1, to the position illustrated in Fig. 3, which will result in still holding the spring 13 tense, and will also result in drawing the CasinO` 27 up into the handle section 5. rlhe handle section will be automatically locked in extended relation to theintermediate section 4 by means of a spring latch 30 carried by the lower end of the intermediate section 4, snapping out into a slot 31 formed in the said handle section. rilhe section 2 will be held in extended relation to the intermediate section 4 by means of a spring latch 32 carried by the enlarged lower end 2a of the section 2 snapping out into a slot 33 formed in the intermedia-te section 4 near the upper end of the latter. l shall now describe the means for and'operation of automatically opening and closing the umbrella.

llt..

As best seen in Fig. 13, the opening syn'ing l?) is returned upon itself at its lower end where it is conncettal to the pin l-t and bent to torni a catch 8st formed with a shoulder 35 designed to pass and be caught by the shoulder 3o ot a spring latch 37 carried by the enlarged lower end 2 ot.' the section 2. '.llie enlarged lower end o'f the section 2 also carries a spring latch 3S formed with a shoulder 3S) designed to be engaged by a bar tOmitormed on and extending longitudinally downward irom the lower end oit then runner section 2%, as best illustrattal in Fig. l2. The spring latches -Sl and 35) are preierably formed oil square steel, and have in Vwardly turned and inclined itree ends -Ltt between which a `runner bar 4t2 is interposed, said runner bar working in a longitudinal groove lt3 Yt'ormed in the enlarged lower end 2 oi the top section 2 and engaging with the catch Sti and held thereby. Said end is also .'lformed with a longitudinal groove l-t, tor the runner bar 40. The lower end ot the release bar Lt2 is coimected to a spring controlled handle or button @t5 carried by the same spring 4:6 to which the latch Bl), before mentioned, :is connected, preferably integrally.

ln the operation of olviening the umbrella, downward pressure on the button or handle t5 which projects out through a slot 46 it'ormed in the handle section and against the resistance oit the spring -`tti, will move the bar ft2 it'ar enough to disengage the releasing bar Lt). from the latch 25S and the lat ter will be disengaged from the runner bar tl), permitting the spring 123 to contract so as to draw the runner 3 downwardly and thereby ilex the spreaders it) and automati- |ally cause the ribs to open, so as to assume the position illustrated in Fig. et.

It to be understood that enough tension ren'iains in the spring 13 to keep the cover well stretched through the stretching action ot the spreaders or stretchers it). .l't will be noted that by this initial or lgn'eliminaiy movement ot the .spring 13 the closing spring it) will be expanded somewhat while Vthe umbrella opens, this being due to the lact that the spring 13 much stronger than spring il() in order, as before stated, that it may perform the double Yfunction ot opening the umbrella and setting the closing mechanism. litence, a further downward movementl of the bar it-2 by pressure upon the button or handle which opens the umbrella, will release the bar #i2 from the latch 237, and the latter will become disengaged from the shoulder 35 o'tE the catch 3st which is formed as a continuation of the spring 1?. lhe tip section 1, to which the spring l() is ctmnected, Ais released by this action, and said tip section is then extended to the position illustrated in Fig. 2, by spring 10, carrying the ruimer with it and closing the umbrella.

After closing, should it be desired to open the umbrella again, it is only necessary to press the tip section l back into the tip sccw tion 2 until it again locks (as shown in Fig. 23,) thus putting the opening spring 123 under tension again, so that pressure upon the release button or handle l5 will again bring ruimer i3 down aml open the mnbrella as before. To telescope the umbrella, it is tirst closed by the operation just described, the top section 1 is then pushed inwardly, and the handle section 5 is telescoped over the inlermtaliatc section ft. Further pressure. upon the handle section 5 telescopes such section and the intermediate section stover the tip section 2, and when the upper end otf the handle section 5 reaches the meeting point ot the ribs, the rel msiiig cup 223 will catch lnulcrnealh the spring latches 2t, thereby unlocking lhe lower sections 1S ot the ribs and carrying all up together until the umbrella is Vt'ully telescopcd, as in Fig. l. The casing 2T which, while the umbrella was extended, remains within lheI handle, as illustrated in Fig. 3, can now be drawn over the outside and tied, and the umbrella is ready to be placed in a suit case` hand bag, or other receptacle, where it will occupy a minimum amount ot' space.

ln order to safeguard the umbrella against damage by wind, which is one oi' the objects oll my invention as set forth at the outset ot the sliecitication.` the runner lsection il is provided at its upper end with a series otf laterally spaced longitudinally extending lingers El, to which the inner ends oil the spreadcrs lt) are directly Vpivotally connected. Ilence. it will be understood by relcrence to Fig. l2, particularly, that the lunbrella can be turned completely wrong side out, owing to the yiehling ot the fingers I, and will then automatically return to its normal shape, due to the pull exerted by the spring t5-, without any injury to the parts.

While the `lforegoing.: description in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrates what I believe to be the preferred emlraaliment o't my invention. it is to be understotal that the invention is not limited thereto, but that various changes may be made in the construction, arrangement and proportions otE the parts without dcl'iarting trom 'the scope ot: the invention as dcl'ined in the appended claims.

llaving thus described my invention, what is claimed is:

t. An umbrella, including a tubular stick, opening and closing springs mounted in said stick, a runner to which said springs are connected, ribs` spreaders tonnectcd to said ribs and to the ruimer. a plunger tip section carrying said springs` means tor holding the opening spring' under tension, means ior releasing said holding means `whereby to permit said spring to act to more the runner in a direction to open the ribs, and means for releasing the plunger, whereby to permit the other spring to act to close the ribs.

2. An umbrella, including a tubular stick, ribs pivotally connected thereto, spreaders connected to the ribs, a runner mounted on said stick and connected to the spreaders, a plunger tip section, opening` and closing springs carried thereby, means for holding the plunger tip section retracted in the stick with the opening spring under tension, the opening spring being stronger than the clos*- ing spring and both springs connected to the ruimer, means for releasing the opening spring so as to draiv the runner down on the stick and place the closing spring under tension, and means for subsequently releasing the tip section so as to permit the closing springs to act to move the section out- Wardly and also move the runner in a direction to close the ribs.

3. An umbrella, including a tubular stick embodying an extensible plunger tip, open` ing and closing springs housed in said tip, means for holding said tip retracted in the stick With the opening spring under tension, a runner mounted on the stick and connected to both springs, ribs pivotally connected to the stick, spreaders connected to the ribs and to the runner, and means initially movable to release the opening spring to permit the same to contract and subsequently movable to release the plunger section so as to permit the closing spring to act.

Al. An umbrella, including a tubular stick, a plunger tip section embodied therein, opening and closing contractile springs housed in said plunger tip section in longi tudinal alinement with each other, the outer end of the closing spring being secured to the stick and the lower end of the opening spring being secured to the `plunger tip, ribs pivotally connected to the stick, spreaders connected to the ribs, a runner mounted on the stick and connected to the spreaders, the adjoining ends ot' said springs being con nected to the runner, means for holding the opening spring extended and the plunger tip retracted in the stick, and means for releasing said holding means to permit the opening spring lto contr `ct and for subsequently releasing the plunger tip to permit the closing spring to act and extend the plunger tip from the stick, tor the purpose specified.

5. An umbrella, including a tubular stick embodying a plunger tip section, opening and closing springs housed Wit-hin said section, ribs pivotally co-nnected to the stick, spreaders connected to said ribs, a runner movable on the stick and connected to said springs and to the spreaders, the runner being provided with a bar, the plunger tip being provided with a cat-ch, latches carried by the stick and automatically movable into engagement With said bar and catch to hold the opening spring extended under tension and the plunger tip retracted inthe stick, and means for releasing said latches, for the purpose specified.

(3. An umbrella, including a tubular stick embodying a plunger tip section, opening and closing springs housed Within said section, ribs pivotally connected to the stick, spreaders connected t0 said ribs, a runner movable on the stick and connected tosaid springs and to t-he spreaders, the runner being' provided With a bar, the plunger tip being provided With a catch, latches carried by the stick and automatically movable into engagement with said bar and catch to hold the opening spring extended under tension and the plunger tip retracted in the stick, and means for releasing said latches including a releasing` bar carried by the stick and movable into engagement With said latches to release the latter.

7. lin umbrella, including a sectional tubular stick, embodying a plunger tip section, opening and closing springs Within said tip section, ribs pivotally connected to the stick, spreaders connected to the ribs, a runner movable on the stick and connected to both of said springs, the runner being provided With a bar and the plunger tip being provided with a catch, latches carried by one of the sections of the stick and automatically engageable with said bar and catch te hold the opening spring extended under tension and the plunger tip retracted in the stick, and a releasing. bar carried by another section ot the stick andinovable. into engagement with said latches, for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof l aliix my signature in presence of tivo Witnesses.

BERNARD J. MCCABE. [n s] lditnesses ALEX. MGMINN', FRED MCCURDY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

